Sin
by Kaiousei
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE SERIES! (Be careful, dubbies) 4 years after the series, Alicia goes missing on her 10th birthday. After coming up empty-handed, Al volunteers to look for her, determined to bring her back. Angst ensues, etc etc. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Sin**

I'm going back and re-doing the first chapters before I go into Chapter 10 because I know they're very rushed and crappy. I like this version of Chapter 1 much, much better. Hopefully this way, I'll get more readers! Now to move on and re-write everything else (yay...).

FullMetal Alchemist and all the characters don't belong to me! If they did, the story probably wouldn't have been so interesting, and Hughes would have been the main character. And oh, the slash...

No, there is no slash in Sin... somehow.

Chapter 1

It was a day of many things. It was her daughter's birthday, as well as that of the man called Edward Elric. As Gracia slipped down the stairs to the kitchen in the fresh chill breath of morning, she wished him well - wherever he was.

Four years had gone by since Ed disappeared, leaving Al in a fresh and new body in his wake, somehow. The little blonde boy had sworn to become strong and to find his brother. He didn't even remember what had happened. His body and his mind had come back in their original form, nine years old. Now thirteen, Al was planning on becoming a State Alchemist to better follow in Ed's footsteps - to discover where he'd gone. Gracia sighed her despair at the thought as she put Alicia's favorite breakfast - buttermilk waffles - to cook.

So much had changed, and she was so involved in such an inadvertant way - the wife of a man who had died in the series of events that led to a revolution. The daughter of a girl turning to Alchemy. So many people had influenced their lives - and so many of them were gone to never be seen again. It was hard to raise a child alone.

She came up the stairs, slowly and quietly as snow flittered down outside the window. It had become a routine that every birthday, she would awake Alicia up early and have a big breakfast. After that, they would go to the stores in town as they opened, and spend the rest of the day doing whatever it was they felt like doing.

This year, she didn't even take a breath before opening the door, purposely hitting it against the back wall in order to surprise the girl. "Happy Birth-"

Alicia wasn't in her bed. In fact, it was still made from the day before when Gracia had done everything that had needed to be done while Alicia was off being babysat by 'Uncle Roy'.

"Alicia?" Gracia quickly spun to check behind the door to make sure she hadn't hit the girl in the face by mistake. But no, she wasn't there, either.

Everything in the room was exactly the way it had been when Alicia had gone to bed. The blankets were in place, as were her toys and her books. Not a thing had been taken, not a thing had been moved. The window was barely open, but that wasn't unusual - Alicia always slept with her window open.

Gracia, growing concerned, began to scan the house. She searched her bedroom, her closet, the bathroom, the linen closet and the attic before moving downstairs, turning the stove off and searching the kitchen, the family room, the dining room and all the cubby holes in between. After that was over, she went back and did it again - this time scanning under beds and between hanging coats and dresses.

Alicia Hughes was gone.

Gracia was begging to panic. She couldn't leave to look for Alicia, what if she was home? What if she came home? But what if she was out there? What if she ran away? Caught in a frenzy of maternal worry, Gracia did the only thing she could think to do.

She called Roy.

Brigandier-General Roy Mustang was still passively appeased with how he had managed to avoid the Hughes family. He saw enough of them to keep himself from feeling too guilty, and he didn't see enough to bring back his grief. It was a difficult battle to fight with himself, regardless. Six years were gone and he still looked to the air next to him time to time to wonder where that chunk of his life had gone.

He made it up to Maes. When Gracia went to spend time with her friends, even if for half an hour, she would drop Alicia off to spend time with 'Uncle Roy'. What started off with a personal reminder became a lesson in alchemy. Alicia wanted to come see him more and more after that, but Roy only allowed himself a few hours a week to spend with the girl, else she would leave him standing alone in the doorway wondering where time had gone, but he did teach her alchemy. He refused to teach her how to make fire - it was too dangerous to allow a five-year-old girl to toy in that kind of thing. But he taught her all the basics until she began to learn herself. Roy even heard stories of her bombarding questions upon Alphonse Elric during his recent stopovers in the Hughes residence. When she was seven, she had begun to calculate what she could turn this or that into, and what emblem she could use.

He had only just emerged into his office when he heard the phone ring at his desk. Walking briskly, he crossed the room as quickly as possible and draped his jacket across the table before picking up the phone, and throwing his hat on top of it.

"Hello?" He said, his voice low and tired from his lack of coffee.

"Roy!" The Brigandier-General hadn't expected to hear Gracia on the other end, sounding somewhat erratic. He turned where he was standing to beckon in Havoc, who came bearing his morning coffee. "Alicia is missing!"

"Missing?" Roy echoed quietly. It's not that he didn't believe her, he was just Roy. That, and he hadn't had his caffeine. He held the phone a short distance from his ear as he took his mug from Havoc to sip at as the woman continued.

She ran on a long stream of descriptions for him about how she was nowhere in the house to be found, her voice getting higher as her throat constricted in panic like what usually happened to women when they cried.

"Calm down, Gracia," Roy consoled, handing his coffee back to Havoc - who was standing there and listening - instead of logically putting it on the desk. "Even if she isn't home, she may have just gone out for a walk."

"She never gets up that early!" Gracia argued. "It's like she never slept in her bed last night at all! I can't even go to look, because... what if she comes back when I leave? Roy, I need your help!"

It didn't take Roy very long to consider the decision, seeing as he didn't really have anything better to do anyway. After the war and everything, it seemed that his position in the military had simply become a place on the mantle - it was just for show. He didn't actually do anything but be an eyesore to those who knew him, and a frustrating head officer for his underlings that did just about as much as he did. But they didn't mind. To them, he was still their Colonel.

"Lieutenant-Colonel."

"Yes, sir?"

"Gather everyone right away. Our mission today is to find Alicia Hughes."

All bearing old and older pictures of Alicia that were once-upon-a-time given to them by Hughes, they embarked on a journey to find his daughter. They left Armstrong and Gracia at home to wait for their return as they looked everywhere. The military building. The barracks. The park. The library. The candy store. Anywhere on a long list Gracia had come up with of places the girl liked to go. Eventually, they arrived at Hughes' grave. The entire party scanned the entire graveyard, through tree limbs and behind tombstones until they came to a conclusion that Alicia was nowhere to be found. At 6pm after searching for the whole day away under the pounding sun, everyone regrouped back at the Hughes household.

Once there, they discovered they had been joined in number by Alphonse Elric. The boy spent most of his time in Central at the Hughes home, running on a new friendship he had adopted after losing his memories of their family amoung a long list in a gap of seven years. He welcomed their return warmly, and was just as crushed as everyone to discover that they had come up with nothing.

"It's been close to twelve hours since we were sent out to search for the girl, and we've come up with absolutely nothing," Hawkeye informed. "However, we're still twelve hours away from being legally able to declare her missing."

"As far as we know, she could be on her way home right now," Havoc muttered around his cigarette. "Kids do stupid things sometimes, Colonel."

"She is a ten-year-old girl, Lieutenant-Colonel," Roy replied sharply. "She shouldn't remind you of your years in high school."

"He may have a point, though," Gracia said from where she sat next to Al and Armstrong on the couch. "Maybe I should just wait... She might make her way home eventually."

"It's not whether or not she can get home that I'm thinking about," Roy said, "it's how she left. She must have been kidnapped. And by now, he must be very far from here."

This proposition provided a whole new wave of dread over Gracia, and she leaned over with a hand over her mouth. Al held her arm supportively as Armstrong patted her on the back.

"But why would they kidnap the deceased Brigandier-General's daughter?" Fury pouted. "That's just creul."

"It's quite possible it was simply a random act," Hawkeye suggested. "They are very rare, but they do happen."

"Under the classification of a kidnapping, there is little more that I can do about it now," Roy pointed out. "It's not that I don't trust the military operations in other cities, it's simply that I feel uncomfortable being unable to keep an eye on it myself."

"I could find her," Al spoke up from his position on the couch, recieving blank stares from all over the room. "Sensei told me she refused to train me so long as I was a Nationally Certified Alchemist, so it might be a while before she gets over that. Gracia's been so nice to me while doing my research in Central. The least I could do is help look for Alicia."

"It would be much more reassuring to have a personal contact on the field into the situation." After a moment, Roy nodded firmly. "Hawkeye, get me details on any kidnapping case in the area. Alphonse, we're counting on you."

Wrath was biding his time.

He wasn't sure who or what he was waiting for, he just knew it would come to him eventually. He prayed it would be his chance to kill that Edward boy for what he did to mommy...

So he lived. He lived his life in the alleys, probing through garbage cans when he couldn't catch and kill food for himself. He lived at the edges of desperation as best he could while clutching his greatest treasure.

A Nationally Certified Alchemist watch. He found it when he crossed the desert, complete with bits of red stones within it. He saved them for himself, and for the day when he would come into contact with the Edward boy. He would take their energy and use it to kill him for what he had done to mommy...

...But that all changed the day he found the human sin.

He watched it in disgust as it squelched hideously in it's pathetic attempt at movement. It was a giant trembling mass of flesh and blood and limbs. From the stories he'd been told, he knew what it was. It was like him.

"How far have you come to get here?" He asked it quietly as he knelt next to it. Wrath found it disgusting, but he felt a rhythm inside of it that matched him somehow. He knew that they were the same, and that kept him from being completely repulsed. "No one pities you. No one loves you. You're just like me."

He watched it for a long time as it lurched barely half an inch. He almost chose to destroy it before he had begun thinking of the possibilities... He could have a companion. He could have a partner. Imagine the things he could do!

Reaching for his watch, Wrath popped it open and stared at the red stones for a very long time as he slid them onto his palm, the thin smoky light dancing against their ends. Nothing could survive in a form like that... It needed these. Besides, two would be better than one... They could team up together on the Edward boy...

He was creating _life_.

"I know what you are," Wrath said quietly as he rolled the stones around on his palm, savouring the sound for the last time. "You belong to me now. Now eat... We have long, long lives ahead of us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sin**

Chapter 2 finally rewritten... And a thousand times better!

Chapter 2:

Al had become a Nationally Certified Alchemist in order to find his brother.

Alphonse Elric had always been interested in alchemy, but it was mostly his brother who feuled that flame, encouraging him every step of the way with his own burning obsession for the science. Ed was so passionate about it he could spend practically every waking moment studying the most difficult texts in order to find one thing or another. Al had managed to keep up at first, but quickly fell behind and would stare out the window as he waited for Ed to look up in excitement and share a new, interesting piece of information. Al had done the chores and fed his brother when Ed forgot to do either, leaving his sibling to his devices.

Those memories came from a long time ago, but it was even longer in this world than in the one Al remembered. He was missing his memory from the time he had supposedly had his soul attached to a suit of armour. Even then, when Al had not been flesh and blood, Ed had cared for him, and had even sacrificed himself to finally bring Al back to normal, unaware of the hole in the boy's memory. As far as many people were convinced, Ed was dead. When a person has been missing for four years, there isn't a very high chance they will be coming back. But Al was as devoted to Ed as Ed had been to alchemy, and Al became just as devoted to the latter for the sake of the former.

Alchemy was the way to get back to his brother - Al could feel that somehow in his very core. He _had_ to be alive, else Al would waste his entire life looking for him. He didn't care - he wanted his brother back.

Al walked down the street of a town he couldn't remember the name of that hadn't been far from Central, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his long, tan leather jacket. He was simply looking out for any conspicuous individuals who might be out kidnapping little girls in the red of dusk as he walked back from a dessert shop he had discovered when coming in to Central to take his exam. He had gone back alone after passing the test to celebrate with a sundae. This time, the owner of the store had recognised.

"Alicia..." Al said in a sing-song way as he analyzed his surroundings. "If you come back, I'll buy you a banana split!"

* * *

With messy black hair and tattered clothing, the pair looked like they had been living in the crevace between two buildings for about a week. Noting how unhealthy they appeared, Al approached cautiously, praising himself for succeeding in being as observant as he had intended.

The man looked as if he may have been a strong one, once upon a time, but he was very ill and thin. Frail, Al observed that he was sweating and panting labouriously. He wasn't much more than skin and bones anymore, and he sat with his head back against the brick wall behind him, his feet stretched out before, and touched the paralell wall with his socked feet.

The boy with him actually appeared to be the more healthy of the two, where he slept with his head resting on the man's thigh like a pillow. His hair was very long and matted as a result of lack of care. He was almost just as thin and frail-looking, save for the high-quality automail Al registered as taking up one of the boy's arms and one leg. How in the world could they have afforded that?

It came to him suddenly - the perfect and obvious conclusion. In a freak accident, the boy had lost his limbs and his father had worked night and day, selling their posessions and - unwisely - destroying their lives in order to allow his child a chance to be normal. Oh, human beings were such wonderful things! Willing to sacrifice everything for each other, forgetting to consider the losses they might suffer as an individual! Al, feuled by inspiration was suddenly determined to help these people. As he stepped forward to lend a helping hand back to his hotel room, the boy's violet eyes shot open and he sprung to his feet.

"Stay away from us!" He screamed as he slashed aggressively against the air with his auto-mail arm. "Go away!"

"Shhh..." Al coaxed, holding up his hands defensively as he glanced down to the man the boy was guarding, who hadn't yet returned to conciousness as the boy had. "I want to help you."

"No!" He shreiked, stepping back but leaning forward offensively.

"Are you sure?" Al asked, gesturing to the unconcious man. "You might need my help. This man is very sick. He could die if we don't get him to people who could help him."

"Daddy won't die!" He cried, "Daddy can't die!" The boy squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently. Al could see that he had somehow hit a nerve. "I... I can take care of him!"

"Can you?" Al asked, slowly lowering his hands to his sides as he realized the threat was mostly gone. "Can you get him fresh water? Good food? Blankets, or a place to sleep? Because I can."

The boy stared intensely at Al, sending a chill down the older boy's spine.

"We can take him to my hotel room," Al said, his voice soft and reassuring. "There, we can give him a comfortable place to sleep, and we can take care of him together! No one is going to take him away from us. I promise." Al advanced a few steps and the short boy bristled defensively. He was a live wire... Al had to be very careful. "Do you trust me?"

The boy hesitated, his eyes flickering from his father to Al, back and forth. "Is Daddy going to die?" He asked, his voice soft with concern although his aggression remained bold in his posture and eyes.

"Not if you let me help you," Al replied.

* * *

Sin stared at his reflection to see a man he couldn't remember. He moved his hand slowly in front of him to make sure the face he was looking at was actually his. He couldn't remember anything about himself at all. He felt perfectly useless and somewhat vulnerable, there was something unnerving about... not knowing who you were. Where was he, anyway? How did he get there? Would either statement make any sense to him even if he knew?

"You're finally awake," the young man murmured from inside the small room. He had fallen asleep on a chair in the corner of the room with a book open on his lap. He seemed perfectly at ease, even with a complete stranger sleeping in his room. "Are you feeling better?" Now that he was standing next to him in the bathroom doorway, the boy was a lot taller than he had previously assumed.

"Who am I?" Sin asked with little hesitation.

The boy shrugged, a polite and awkward smile on his face as he averted his eyes. "I don't know."

Sin looked him up and down. The boy was wearing lots of whites and browns, the cloth light and breathing to match the warm climate, and a long duster that was likely to be his - seeing as there was no other - hung on the back of the chair he had been sitting in. He was reasonably muscular, and his body language was reasonably confident, but not aggressive. "How did I get here?"

"I carried you," he replied. "I found you sick and unconcious in an alleyway in the middle of town with your son. I chose to take care of you," the young man glanced over his shoulder at the even smaller boy who was sleeping on the bed. "After he _let_ me, at least."

"My son?" Sin gazed back into the mirror, tilting his head to try to memorize his own face before moving past the boy and into the bedroom of the hotel. He stepped aside and watched as Sin passed and move to study the boy asleep on the bed. It was very dark and presumably very late. He had been sleeping in that bed when he awoke not long before, and he must have missed the sensation of having the child pressed against his back, but now the child was positioned stretched across the whole of the mattress.

"Can you remember his face?" The young man asked from across the room.

"No," Sin admitted reluctantly. "I can't even remember my own."

"What about your name?" He asked, moving to the other side of the bed, where he stood facing Sin.

Sin shook his head slowly.

"Well, it will probably come back to you eventually," the blonde boy reassured with a smile. "You were really sick. Besides, your son will know. Anyway, my name is Al. Alphonse Elric. I'm a Nationally Certified Alchemist."

Sin nodded. "I apologize. I wish I could offer you my own."

"Give it time," Al said with a reaffirming nod as he turned to walk back to the chair he had been sleeping in previously. It was a stiff wooden rocking chair that the blonde had cusioned using all the free pillows he could find that weren't being used on the bed. He'd chosen to lend out his bed as well instead of taking the best for himself. "I'm just completely relieved to see you're feeling better now. I found you both two days ago, and it's been a real... challenge trying to take care of your son, take care of you and get any work done. He was doing a good job on his own, but he doesn't seem to have much experience caring about others and it was hard trying to get him to sit still for more than five minutes, but the way he was worried about you tells me that he seems to have been raised well."

Sin nodded, completely oblivious to what he should say. He had already stated he couldn't remember anything about the boy, or even himself. He was surprised he had recalled a way for them to communicate.

Al finally sat down in his chair across the room and he stared absently toward the lit lamp as he placed his book back in it's position on his lap. "I came here looking for a friend's daughter. So far I've scanned the entire town a few times over, solved some problems the military posts here were having, and I've still come up with nothing. I don't know what else to do. All that's left is for me to sit around here all day and wait for Central to get my report and send me some orders."

Sin couldn't think of anything to say, so instead he moved to the bed. The sleeping boy didn't notice as the mattress sunk slightly with his weight. In spite his small size, Sin himself was rather tall and there was no space for him to lay down with the boy stretched out the way he was. He could easily pick him up and put him elsewhere, but he instead chose to sit in silence and watch how peacefully he slept.

"Actually, I'm suffering from amnesia myself," Sin realized rather quickly that it was the boy's way to clear the air. Sin began to forsee a lot of Al talking in the future. "I can't remember anything from eight to four years ago. I'd like to tell you that I can understand what you're going through, but even since the beginning, I had a recollection of the earlier years of my life. I don't know if anything I say will be of any reassurance to you, but I'll do whatever I can to help you both."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sin**

Chapter 3:

Sin couldn't catch a glimpse of anything from his past anywhere in his mind. And now that he was there with Al and his son in a town called Rizembul, he couldn't quite remember why he had agreed to go there, either.

Wrath had been furious about the idea. Now that Daddy was alright and not on the brink of death, he didn't care if he had to live back in the filthy alleyways of the town; he just wanted to have Daddy all to himself. The three of them had spent another hour sitting in their hotel room after the boy had remained adamant. Al was trying to explain to the boy why good food and clean water were essentials, and that living in an alleyway was a bad idea. But the boy screamed and thrashed and cried until Al and Sin sighed in unison and exchanged long-suffering looks. Sin had no idea if he could take care of himself, let alone the child. Although he felt somewhat guilty, the responsible side of his mind told him that he should take advantage of Al's help now, since he needed it the most, and he would do his best to pay the debt back later.

After a long session of logic and screaming, the boy somehow submitted and finally agreed - albeit reluctantly - and he cried and whined as Al took them shopping to buy them an outfit each until they could settle in somewhere and afford themselves a wardrobe; and then they made their way to the train.

Trains were noisy, unpleasant things. They belched out mountains of black smoke as they groaned and shrieked with signals that Sin couldn't understand... Not to mention that they were surrounded by _so many people..._ Sin hated it immediately, but the entire scene changed the moment they got on board. They walked down a narrow carpeted path and seated in their spot near the back, on the left.

His son whimpered and whined, and the sound cut unpleasantly into Sin. He placed his hand on the boy's head and ruffled his long dark hair playfully. When his violet eyes gazed up at him, Sin found himself smiling fondly. "Everything will be all right," he said without thinking.

And the boy smiled, relaxing as he curled up against Sin's arm.

The boy was a strange one. He had introduced himself as Wrath, and Sin couldn't help but wonder how he could have come up with a bitter name like that. He was almost beginning to believe that he couldn't be the boy's father, when suddenly he shrieked something at Al that startled the both of them, followed by a series of pathetic whimpers. Sin couldn't deny his parental instinct to shield the child from harm. Besides, they had the same black hair and purple eyes... Sin didn't realize he had already caved, allowing himself to adopt the position of Wrath's Daddy. He would come up with a more appropriate name later.

They talked a lot on the train, trying to get some information out of Wrath and failing miserably. They discovered Wrath's name (a few times over) and that Sin's name was Daddy. Any other question he answered with nonsense or violence, so they unanimously chose to give up. They arrived at Rizembul a lot sooner than anyone expected, a town where Al said he knew people who would take care of them until Sin got his memory back. Sin and Wrath (with much difficulty) agreed, and there they stood at the empty trainstation in the middle of nowhere before they finally started walking in the crimson light of the setting sun.

"I used to live here," Al spoke, once again talking about a whole lot of nothing as Wrath giggled and hummed random songs from his perch atop Sin's shoulders. "There isn't very much here, but it's a nice place with really great people. We all take care of each other."

Sin nodded and began to wonder if they had actually come to Rizembul for his sake, or if it was just because Al had been homesick.

"How much longer?" Wrath whined.

"Not much further," Al replied, pointing down the hill they were mounted on to a large house placed where the ground evened off at the bottom. "It's right up ahead. Do you see it?"

"That one?" Wrath asked, pointing over Sin's head. "It's so small."

"Just wait until we get there, it's much bigger up close," Al said patiently.

Less calm people never would have been able to deal with Wrath.

As they came up to the house, a young blonde girl emerged from the front door to stretch and enjoy the warm summer air, but it didn't take her long to notice them coming up the road. She waved at them from a distance, and descended the stairs slowly, watching them as she approached.

"Hello, Winry!" Al greeted, taking his opprotunity to run ahead of Sin and Wrath in order to greet his childhood friend.

"Daddy!" Wrath wailed, "he's going faster than we are! Let's race him!"

"I can't," Sin replied quietly. "I can't run with you, you're too heavy with all that auto-mail."

Wrath continued to whimper pointless complaints into his hair as the boy leaned over his head, but Sin was distracted to look up and find the Winry girl staring at him by the time Al reached her side. It was a strange expression that was on her face, some mix of emotion that Sin couldn't identify.

"Al," he heard her ask as they got closer. "Who is that?"

Al smiled at her, appearing somewhat concerned with her expression. "He's a man I rescued from an alleyway in East City," he began. "He can't remember his own name or anything. I was taking him here so you could help me take care of him and his son."

"Al," she asked, turning to him, her face solemn. "Do you remember Gracia and Alicia back in Central?"

"Yes. Actually, I-"

"That man," she said, pointing to Sin, "is Brigandier-General Maes Hughes."

* * *

Al had only ever seen him in pictures, snapshots from a life that he was only told had happened. No alarms of recognition sung in his head when he looked at Sin, and he stared intently at the man, trying to hear them. Trying to recognise him.

Sin had no choice but to sit in torture under their scrutinizing stares. Looking at the few pictures they had, he couldn't deny the fact he resembled him to an uncanny degree, but the problem that they couldn't understand was the fact that Hughes had been dead for six years.

It didn't make any sense, but Sin couldn't argue. Another girl living in the house had actually fainted upon his entering the room.

"Maybe he's just a look-alike," Al suggested.

"Don't ignore it!" Winry cried. "Even look-alikes aren't this identical, and they don't sound the same. This man _is_ Maes Hughes."

Al gave Sin a dejected look. "But... that's just... not possible."

Pinako then entered the room. She had put the unconcious girl to bed and left Wrath in the living room to play with the auto-mail dog. She caught the end of the conversation and came in to speak the words that no one wanted to think of as a possibility. "Human transmutation."

Al winced at the concept, but Winry just turned to listen to the wisdom of her grandmother.

Pinako crossed the room to where Sin was sitting at one end of the kitchen table. He sat in silenced and watched her as she looked him over, staring into his eyes, his ears, under his chin... "But he's such a perfect display of the power of alchemy. It's nothing like the one the Elric brothers created."

"But... Human transmutation isn't supposed to _work_," Al protested.

"Precisely," Pinako pointed out, counting Sin's five fingers on each hand as he sat there patiently observing. "Didn't you say that you were looking for the Alicia girl? Wasn't she this man's daughter?"

Al just couldn't stand to think about the suggestion. "No! Alicia would never do something like that!"

"We can't dismiss it as a possibility," Pinako said, reaching for the hem of Sin's shirt. He grasped her hand gently and looked despairingly at her for a moment until she changed her mind and turned back to the children. "We've all proven at one time or another that humans are capable of stupid, selfish things all the time. Besides, Al, weren't you telling me of how well Alicia was doing in her alchemical studies?"

"But why would she?" He cried, "how could she! She's only ten!"

"It's not unusual for children to want their parents back when they die," Pinako stated bluntly. "And I know of one child who attempted the same thing when he was nine."

"Don't use me as an example! It's not the same!" Al yelled, tears very obviously welling in his eyes in spite of his frequent blinking to keep them at bay. "I can't even remember! That's not fair!"

"Al," Winry spoke finally, her voice soft with reassurance as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "No one here is blaming you for anything."

"But I was supposed to find her! You can't be trying to tell me she's likely dead!" He cried, turning to face his childhood friend and shrugging away the hand she had offered. "I left Central to find her! What would Gracia do if I told her Alicia was dead?"

"We don't know that," Pinako said. "Ed survived. Izumi survived."

"Please don't argue for me," Sin said, finally getting a word in on the conversation. "I wish I could tell you what happened. I wish I could say something about anything. But I can't remember who these people are; I can't remember my own face, let alone my name. None of these words or names hold any meaning to me at all, but I wish they did. If I killed a little girl in order to exist, I could never ask your forgiveness, or even manage to give myself some of my own. I just want to understand what happened to me, why I am here and who I was before I lost my memory. I wouldn't blame you for hating me."

"Don't talk like that," Winry said, smiling weakly, but full of warmth. "If you're alive now, then you're alive. You should take advantage of it while you have a chance. Don't spend your time regretting things you never even did. You're not being fair to yourself."

"You know what to do, don't you Al?" Pinako said, turning to look at him as Al rubbed relentlessly at his face. "You need to take him back to Central. The people there who knew him might know what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sin**

Chapter 4

Wrath did_ not _want to go to Central.

He kicked and he screamed and he cried the entire way to the train until they sat down in their seat when he just settled to clawing and chewing on Sin's arm.

It was only the second time he had been on a train, and it wasn't very much different than the first save for the wonderful experience that came with having to deal with a very unhappy child with a low attention span in public. Sin was beginning to think it would have been a better idea to leave him in Rizembul, or just to bring the people Pinako wanted him to see to where they were.

Sin compromised and ended up taking Wrath up and down the aisles of the train while Al calmed his headache. The boy was still cranky, but moving seemed to help relieve some of his restlessness and the two walked up and down the run of the train a few times. Wrath wanted up on Sin's shoulders again, but the man had to explain to him that the boy would hit the ceiling. He would have to wait until they got to Central. But just the reminder of their situation made Wrath irritable and Sin chose just to give in and sit back in their seats to cradle in own headache.

Al had managed to occupy Wrath with a game of cat's cradle until they pulled into the Central train station, and as soon as the boy realized where they were, he had another outburst. He stood up as the train was pulling into the station and he stared silently out the window until the transportation lurched to a halt. He stood still until Sin and Al moved to retreive their luggage. Wrath then turned and ran as far and as fast as he could go.

Taken by surprise, Sin dropped the bags he was holding. "Wrath!" He called, starting after the boy.

"Wait!" Al said, catching the bigger man's arm as he spun. "We'll find him - right now we need to get off this train before it takes off with all of my hard work in it. I hate to sound selfish, but..."

He trailed off and Sin turned to do as Al asked. It didn't take them very long to pick up everything and move off of the train, but it was long enough for Wrath to have gotten away. The two of them explored the area thoroughly for him, and Sin was fixated with a whole population of strange looks as they failed to locate Wrath.

Sin turned to find Al, to see if the young man had found him, but instead he turned to find himself face-to-face with a funny-looking stranger.

"Maes?" The man asked, peering excitedly up at him as Sin took a step back, overwhelmed. "Oh wow, Maes! This is amazing! What kind of business did the military have you meddling in that inspired them to come tell us all that you were dead? That was a sick joke, man. My wife is going to be so happy to hear that you're just fine! How is Gracia?"

"Umm..." Sin stared dumbfounded at the man for a moment, totally at a loss of what to say. He was overcome with a flood of relief as Al appeared at his side, taking him away.

"Pardon me, but we're in quite a hurry," he apologized to the now confused man, moving Sin away as quickly as possible.

In spite of the importance it was to find Wrath in the city, Al quickly realized that it had become more important to get Sin out of the streets. People were looking at them, staring at Sin. The blonde could hear murmurs about Hughes and he was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to come back here in the first place as people finally came up with the courage to approach him.

"That Brigandier-General must be sick, convincing us that you were dead!" The cried.

"How are Gracia and Alicia?"

"We're so glad to see you home!"

"Excuse us please..." Al apologized, pulling Sin around through the crowds. It was growing more and more difficult to maneuver around the crowds when Al finally found the solution to all of his problems.

"Armstrong!" Al sighed with relief, approaching the big man with stars in his eyes. "I need your help!"

"HUGHES!" Armstrong sang, tears pouring out of his eyes and Sin managed to duck before the huge soldier could clutch him into what might have been the hug of a lifetime. "Hughes has come back to life!"

"Hurry!" Al beckoned, leading Sin down a long city street toward the military headquarters, Armstrong close on their heels.

However, although many people had known Hughes on the street, _everyone_ knew Hughes in the military.

* * *

It was early in the morning and the lobby was rather vacant since people had just settled into their offices to do whatever job it was they were mean to do. But those who saw Sin enter fell silent, and those who didn't turned to see the cause of the vacuum of sound. Out of the corner of his eye, Al could see Hawkeye and Havoc stop doing what they were doing to stare. Havoc's cigarette fell out of his mouth, and Sin was swarmed as it hit the floor.

"Hughes! But... But you were dead!"

"What happened to you? Who did we bury?"

"Why would they play a prank like that? I was devastated!"

"Are you back in the military?"

And Armstrong was now an addtional part of the crowd. "Huuuughes!"

"Attention!" Hawkeye barked sharply, and the noisy people fell silent to turn and look at her, although not coming to attention. "Please refrain from intimidating our guests." She demanded, "all of you have work to do, so get doing it!" But as she spoke, she lay a strong hold on Sin's arm and started walking him swiftly and stiffly up the stairs, completely confident in her destination as Al obediently followed. Sin was confused by the mass of halls and corridors as she led them along, and as they moved more people managed to recognize his face, but they were quickly silenced under Hawkeye's penetrating glare.

They stopped in front of a particular door, and she opened it quickly and gestured them inside. "Stay here for now," she murmured quickly, "we will think of something." After this, she practically threw Al into the room, shoving Sin quickly after and slammed the door behind him. Sin turned to stare at the door as he heard what he thought might be gun shots, and the woman's stern voice shouting orders while Al whimpered and stood up right.

Sin turned to study the room to find a big office with bookshelves, a table and a desk. He had experienced a lot of recognition that day, and he was growing very tired of the same expression that shaded on the man who sat behind that desk. However, to this man, the mood was solemn rather than excitement.

Brigandier-General Roy Mustang. That was the name on his desk. He rose from his seat very slowly and walked around his desk, his hands running along the wood as he approached them. His footsteps and motions were slow and steady and smooth as he averted his eyes away from Sin to stare directly at the door, which he walked past them in order to open.

"Please excuse me," he murmured politely as he opened the door and left, closing it gently and leaving a lonely little click sounding in his wake.

"Brigandier-General..." Al sighed sadly.

* * *

Hawkeye was finally beginning to make some headway when it came to getting the building back in order after all the excitement and confusion that was left behind in the wake of the man who looked like Hughes. It had brought out some strange emotions in all of them... Even Hawkeye didn't know what to think, except to tell herself that there was a logical explaination that would be concluded in time.

She sighed with relief as she silently concluded that everything was well and fine once again in the military, and she finally turned to interrogate the look-alike when she came face to face with Roy Mustang.

He had his jacket slung over his arm and his hat in his hand, but he had only come in an hour ago...

"Brigan-"

"Leiutenant Colonel," he said respectively, not missing a beat and continuing down the stairs, passing her as he pulled his hat over his head, concealing his eyes. "There's a ghost in my office. Please have it exorcized immediately."

And then he left. And Hawkeye knew that he wasn't coming back. She sighed and turned to take care of the stranger in Roy's office.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sin**

Chapter 5

Collectively, they knew nothing, because there was nothing there to know. Sin didn't know where he came from. Wrath had run away (and they had now sent forces out to search for him), and Al had only been the one to find him.

With Roy gone, everyone had looked at their feet and glanced at each other when it came down to getting things done, so she had taken control of the situation. She was leading the casual interrogation, but there were no answers for her to find. She sighed and rubbed at her temples. Her underlings stared at her, surpised at the open display of fatigue.

It was exhausting to need to know things from someone who can't remember anything.

"So what are we supposed to do, now?" Fury asked. "We can't just sit here and wait for clues... can we?"

"By the way things are going, I'd say we don't have much of a choice," Havoc observed, puffing at his cigarette from where he was positioned at the other end of the room, spinning around in Roy's chair, his feet knocking things off of the desk.

Sin was sitting in his place next to Al, once again experiencing the empty feeling he did when he was talked over. It was hard to understand why his appearance was so significant.

Al glanced at him frequently, as if he wanted to say something, but he never did.

"So?" Havoc asked impatiently, his voice getting softer and louder as he spun. "What are we going to do with him?"

"Leiutenant," Hawkeye ordered firmly, "please get out of the Brigandier-General's chair."

Havoc pouted, but did as he was told and he stood, spinning the chair around with his hand and making no move to clean up the things that he had knocked onto the floor.

"I think we need to give him to Gracia," Hawkeye stated simply, folding her hands on her lap.

"Whoaaaaa," Havoc said, stopping the spinning chair as he turned to stare at her, and chose instead to lean up against it. "Are you sure that's such a good idea, Hawkeye? Maybe we should talk to her about it first. Make sure she's ready and all that stuff."

"She'll never be ready," Al sighed. He spent a lot of time at their house in Central, and he knew just what happened there everyday.

Hawkeye nodded slowly, "we would be better off just forcing her to accept it, because I can't imagine him staying with anyone else."

"He could always stay in the hotel with me," Al volunteered.

"Thank you, Major, but with Alicia missing, I don't think Gracia would appreciate spending much time alone." Hawkeye pointed out. "She could use some consolation."

* * *

And this was how Sin ended up being pawned off onto Gracia Hughes. They drove him there and told him to wait in the car while Hawkeye, Al and Armstrong - who had finally realized that Sin's eyes were the wrong colour and had sulked for a while - went inside to speak with Gracia. Sin stared out his window at the beautiful house as they went inside. He barely got a glimpse of the woman as they went inside, Al casting him a supportive smile over his shoulder.

"I can't begin to imagine how confusing this must be for you," Havoc said suddenly, piercing the silence with his voice and inspiring Sin to look up at him. "Hughes was a great man, and now you get to live by his rules and limitations because you resemble someone who died a long time ago." Havoc finally turned to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "How do you feel about this?"

"Helpless," Sin replied honestly. It was the first time in a while that someone had actually asked for his opinion.

"I imagine I would, too," Havoc said with a strange half-smile that Sin couldn't read as he puffed on his cigarette and tapped the ashes casually out of the window. "You haven't even been here for a day and we're already throwing you into his shadow by having Hughes' wife take you in." He sighed and breathed in the smoke once again. "By the way, I should apologize on behalf of the Colonel. Roy probably didn't intend to be rude, walking out on you like that. He and Hughes were very good friends."

"Who was this man?" Sin asked quietly, gazing at his empty hand as he leaned against the dirty car window.

"Hughes? How could I begin to summarize Maes Hughes?" Havoc sucked on his cigarette yet again, gathering his thoughts. "He worked in the military for Roy's sake - more or less, doing research and all that good book-stuff, but man was he ever good with daggers. He was better throwing daggers than a war veteran is with pulling triggers. Even so, he was a family man with a wife - Gracia - and a kid - Alicia. He never stopped talking about them. It was kind of annoying to me at the time, but now..." Havoc sighed nostalgically. "He was a good man. He was great at everything he did. He was only shot because he learned too much while doing his job." While Havoc spoke, he reached a hand into his jacket for a moment and pulled something out, presenting Sin with a picture of himself and a little girl. Sin stared at it for a long time. "He was a big part of our little community within the military," Havoc continued. "That's why people swarmed you. Everyone adored Hughes."

"I see..." Was all Sin could think to say. He wasn't very good at talking much.

"Gracia was his wife," Havoc continued, staring out of the opposite window. "And Alicia - his daughter - went missing, as you may have heard. Gracia is beside herself with worry. Depending on how she reacts, having you nearby might be a huge weight off of her shoulders. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this," he said, taking another puff of his cigarette. "We're forcing you through so much..."

"I don't mind," Sin said quietly. He mostly just didn't care. "I wouldn't have known what to do with myself, anyway. Especially seeing as I can't very easily go out in public."

"Yeah," Havoc sighed, a wry smile on his face and his cigarette in his hand close to his lips. "Human beings are pitiful things, but we will never stop trying to replace the things we miss."

* * *

Gracia successfully managed to compose herself enough so she wouldn't faint when Sin finally stepped into the doorway. But that didn't stop her from holding a handkerchief close to her face as she tried to control her emotions. She was an attractive woman in her own humble way, but Sin had a hard time meeting her gaze. He was uncomfortable with the thought that people thought they knew him, and now he was standing in front of that man's _wife_.

Hawkeye cleared her throat after a few long and awkward moments, but she hesitated, skipping Sin's nameless introduction. "...this is Gracia, Hughes' wife."

Gracia tried to smile at him, but she failed. Her tears were spilling out over her cheeks, and her lip trembled under her handkerchief. Sin just couldn't stand the idea that it was possibly because of him, and before he knew it he found himself kissing the fingers of her empty hand. "Don't look at me with those eyes," he said in such a warm way that he could hear the military people behind him ease significantly.

She smiled, authentically this time. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"I understand," Sin replied.

"We'll leave you two alone now," Al said, beaming. He cast Sin a fond look over his shoulder as he moved to the door, and he left with the military personel following closely after. Armstrong closed the door softly, the last to leave.

"I apologize for my rudeness," Gracia said with a sigh, wiping her eyes with a smile. "I can't even explain how it feels to be going through what I am right now."

"Everyone is going through things right now," Sin said with a sigh.

"Well..." she nodded and hesitated a moment. "I'm certain that I can't begin to comprehend what it must be like in your position."

"Maybe," Sin said dismissively, turning to scrutinize the huge collage of framed family pictures that hung in the stairwell.

"I wasn't expecting company for dinner, but I'm sure I could whip something up quickly for the two of us," Gracia planned, speaking loudly so Sin could hear her as she moved into the kitchen. "Do you like spaghetti?"

"Sure," Sin couldn't really remember, but he turned away from the pictures to call back out to her. "Thank you very much for everything."

"It's no trouble at all," Gracia said. "I'll get started."

* * *

"Ohhhhhhhhh!"

"Awwwwwww!"

"Did you see that?"

"I did!"

"True love is found, and a family is born, only to be ripped asunder!"

"A mysterious man appears from nowhere, bearing a perfect resemblance to the dead husband!"

"A new true love is born!"

"Please stop," Hawkeye grunted, glaring bitterly at where Armstrong and Al were spouting romantic stories with each other. "Think of the situation here for a moment. I don't think it's very pleasant."

"But... _True love_, Leiutenant-Colonel! They're meant to be together forever! Don't you see!"

"This isn't a time to be happy," she sighed.

* * *

No one could ever begin to understand what a man has to go through as he walks through a beautiful house and stares at pictures of himself with a wonderful family. But when he looked at those faces, he felt nothing. There was a picture with himself and Roy Mustang, very happy and apparantly drunk. There he was with a blonde boy and a suit of armor. There were many pictures of himself with his co-workers in the military - the same people he had spent the afternoon talking to. But all of these were overwhelmed with the pictures of himself with Gracia and a little blonde girl, who he concluded to be the missing Alicia Hughes.

He didn't know what he was supposed to feel, but he found himself worrying conciously about the well being of Alicia as well as Wrath.

Sin listened intently as Gracia told her stories over dinner, recalling things about Hughes that no one else would know. By the time dinner was over, she had realized and repeatedly commented on how his clothes didn't fit him very well, and she insisted on dressing him in the garments of her husband.

In spite of everything, they were both equally surprised about how well they fit him. Disgusted with the similarities, Sin stared at himself in the mirror and could swear that he was Maes Hughes. Embarassed as Gracia looked him over, Sin shifted uncomfortably as he was forced to stare at the man everyone wanted him to be. After seeing all the pictures in the stairwell, it was hard for him to believe that it was actually his reflection there. Gracia peered over his shoulder at him with a smile. "A perfect fit," she commented.

He shifted awkwardly in the snug clothes, a strange change from the baggy cheap garments he had been clothed in before. He turned away from the mirror so he wouldn't have to look at himself, and Gracia smiled politely up at him. She took his arm and led him down the stairway once more and sat him down on a couch in the family room. She took a moment in the kitchen to prepare tea, and came back with enough for both of them as she began to speak again about she used to do this and that with Hughes, and how every one was a unique experience since Hughes was just that kind of guy.

Hearing about Hughes had been fine at first, but it was becoming more unpleasant for Sin with each passing moment. He listened to respond, but stared absently out the picture window as she shuffled about her basic chores around him. He once asked if there was anything he could do, but she just shook her head and continued her stories.

She finally sat down to enjoy her tea - which was then cold - when the family room was just as clean as she wanted it to be. She apologized for the mess, and he told her he didn't mind.

"His daughter Alicia disappeared on her birthday two weeks ago," she sighed. "If Hughes was still here, he would have forced every meandering staff in the military to such under every rock for her, all over the world. That just goes to show how little I can do here on my own."

"I think you've done quite a bit already," Sin said. "You've survived without his help for this long."

"I suppose," she sighed into her tea, inhaling the scent, "...but my life will mean nothing if I don't have my daughter."

"We'll find her," he said.

"I hope so."

He ran a hand through his hair to discover he was tired, but he said nothing to Gracia. She had already taken out pillows and blankets for him to sleep out on the couch. She sipped her tea thoughtfully and said nothing.

...But Sin stiffened as she leaned up against his shoulder and sighed.

"Maes..." she sighed, her voice practically silent. "I wish you were really here."

And he felt awful.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sin**

Chapter 6

It had been a long time since Roy had first introduced himself to the miracles and disasters that alcohol could induce. But finding himself in a position like this was, in his opinion, perfectly justifiable. So he indulged himself.

He had just had the most vivid nightmare he could remember. He didn't very often remember his dreams, but the idea of Maes Hughes being alive had criss-crossed Roy's unconcious mind so much that it was a burden for him to sleep at night for a long time after he had died. Eventually, they only came once a night, diminishing to every several until one day when they spread so thin that Roy tended to forget that he had dreampt anything at all until he turned to the picture on his dresser as he got dressed every morning. Some days, the pain was worse than others.

Maes Hughes was dead. He was shot. That was all there was. Back to work.

Sign papers, clean windows, sign papers, clean windows, drink coffee... The Brigandier-General's job was just as exciting as it had ever been. And now, the goal he had strived tirelessly for was gone, revolutionized away.

What was he doing with his life?

He took a generous sip of the powerful rum he was drinking, hunched over in his usual place at the bar where he and Hughes used to go together. Maybe the spectre he had seen was actually an omen, calling him away to the realm of the dead.

Roy shook his head to himself and took another big gulp, letting the liquid burn euphoria down his throat. He would beat that spectre... He hadn't risked sacrificing everything for nothing.

"What are you doing here, Brigandier-General?" Roy turned to see Hawkeye, who was getting eyed by the men who populated the bar - although she pretended not to notice.

"Drinking," he replied.

Hawkeye stared into his face for a long moment, quickly determining with her long knowledge of the man that he was still sober enough to register her report, since she probably wouldn't be reading the written version she had delivered to his office. She straightened and sat down on the stool that she was very well aware had once been claimed by Hughes, and she ignored the dirty looks Roy was giving her.

"Regardless of whether or not you want to hear it, I must report to you, since you are my superior," she said, taking a deep breath before she began. She explained the entire situation the way she understood it, which was very cold and boring, but thorough. She skipped a few things here and there for the sake of Roy's sanity while he sat in silence staring at his glass. "He is now staying with Gracia, and the two seem to be getting along quite well."

"That man is not Maes Hughes." Roy said quietly into his drink, making the statement more to himself than to Hawkeye.

"I know."

* * *

It wasn't bad at all.

"Move that one over there... Now turn it a bit... No, this way. There we go! Now, for the bookshelf... Let's get all of the books off of it, first!"

Now that Gracia had a set of strong arms around the house, she had decided to take care of all the things she had wanted to. She asked Sin to lift things for her to vaccuum under. He helped her carry loads of groceries home (she took a moment to sigh over the fact she didn't have enough mouths to feed anymore. When Sin told her he could eat the entire load himself, she laughed and felt better). And, once the groceries were away, she had a sudden compulsion to rearrange the furniture in the living room. So he helped her by doing all the work.

When she finally slowed down to start cooking dinner, Sin was there watching everything she did. He constantly offered to work as another pair of hands, stirring the stew as she chopped things to put in it; taking carrots out of the fridge as she checked on the bread she was baking; setting the table.

They realized together how a fantastic team they made when they took their first bites of their creation.

"It's so nice to have someone else around again," she sighed happily while sipping on the wine she had volunteered to bring out from their collection sitting in the basement. Other than that, there was nothing spectacular about their dinner save for the warmth they both recieved from being in the other's prescence. "Even when Maes was here, he was always working. You might not understand, but although I love Alicia with all my heart, she's a horrible cook. She's clumsy with her feet, so she's always breaking and spilling things when she falls." She sighed happily, smiling. "But I love her anyway, and I miss her. I have complete faith that she will come home."

"Of course she will," Sin said between bites as she shovelled the spectacular stew down his throat.

"Be careful!" She said to him with a small laugh. "Don't choke on it!"

After dinner, they did the dishes together - Sin was washing as Gracia dried, since she knew exactly where everything went in the cupboards, while he was still learning. When they were done, they retreated into the living room where they sipped on drinks while Gracia read books to him. Although he managed to speak and listen just fine, he discovered he could not remember for the life of him how to read. So she sat in the large chair as he half-lay on the couch he had carried around for her sake earlier in the day, staring at the sunset outside their front window as she read to him, the sound of her voice and the colours of the sky filling his senses.

Was this how happy people lived their lives?

* * *

The Hughes household had been something Roy was trying to cope with for a very, very long time. He had finally succeeded in settling it in somewhere where it wasn't too close to bother him, and wasn't to far away to jeprodize their friendship. But this was something else, entirely.

It was something he would have to deal with sooner or later; but he would rather it be later than sooner... and by later, he meant never. Roy wanted the whole problem to just _go away_ and never come back. He sighed as he stood in front of the house, staring blankly at the door. His relationship with Gracia and Alicia were hard enough as they were, but now that they had a man identical to Hughes living with them, it just made everything a thousand times more difficult. The lights were on, and he was sure they were there somewhere... He had to do _something_.

Roy sighed and took a few brave steps toward the door until he stood right in front of it. His fist hovered in the air, poised to knock... but he just stared at his hand.

Could he face seeing Hughes again, now?

He slowly let his hand fall limply to his side and he sighed, leaning his forehead against the door, slowly as to not make a noise. He had come with complete, alcohol-inspired determination to see Gracia and talk to that man. But once again, standing in front of his opprotunity, no matter how much he had consumed, he lost his will.

There was no way...

He stepped back once and hesitated, waiting for his well of courage to summon some up for him to use, but there was nothing. Giving up, he turned on his heel and stopped before he could begin to walk away.

"I heard you lost something," Edward Elric said to him, mouth locked in the same bitter smile that Roy remembered, Alicia Hughes cradled in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sin**

This chapter is dedicated to the incredibly awesome Nelja, for being so helpful with her criticisms on the original version of Sin! I hope the re-write lives up to her expectations!

Chapter 7

It would have been a night as it should have been at what remained of the Hughes household. Gracia was no longer alone, and Alicia was finally home. After crying tears of joy over the return of her daughter, she brought the unconcious girl up the stairs and tucked her safely into bed. Sin watched from the doorway as the woman sniffed away her sobs, kissing the sleeping child three times before standing and turning to face him, a painful smile on her face that portrayed the ultimate joy.

Deep inside, it felt like a hole within Sin's being was pried open at the sight of the two. It was a painful gap, existing for the sole purpose of reminding him that he had something missing there.

In spite of himself, he placed a hand on Gracia's shoulder as she came within his reach.

"Everything's going to be okay," he promised her.

"Yes," she agreed, wiping away her tears and smiling at him like she never had before. "Everyone is together now."

As they descended the stairs, Sin wondered what she meant by that.

The boy everyone called Edward Elric watched closely as the two of them came into the living room. He was small, but sharp in eyes and features. Sin was reminded suddenly of Wrath when he realized he had an arm and a leg replaced with prosthetics. He wondered if the boy was okay, off on his own, armed with his auto-mail and alone somewhere.

The way Edward stood was confident, but aggressive towards Sin, making the man uncomfortable. He stood at the other end of the room, closer to where Roy Mustang was sitting in a chair, hunched over in his place with hands folded in front of his face, his eyes closed. Next to him sat a rigid-firm Hawkeye, and a slightly-buzzed Havoc stood in his street clothes by the window, smoking his cigarette. It was very late, and no one else could have been reached.

"Edward-kun," Gracia said, ignoring the severe looks he was giving to Sin and approaching him. "I cannot thank you enough for bringing my Alicia back to me."

"I know, Gracia," he reassured, although sounding impatient. He put a supportive hand on her shoulder as she bowed to him, and he quickly turned on Sin. "The last time I checked, Hughes was dead."

"He is," Sin replied quietly.

"Then who the hell are you?"

Sin couldn't answer, and instead he simply looked away.

"Now I understand," Ed humphed bitterly as he turned to the military personel behind him. "Who's been teaching Alicia alchemy?"

Unanimously, everyone turned to stare at Roy, who hadn't moved. Ed hesitated before turning back, choosing to leave the subject alone for the time being. "I found Alicia inside the Gate," he said, forgetting how little they knew and moving to glare heavily at Sin. "How could she have gotten there, Colonel?" Choosing not to wait for an answer, he continued. "Human transmutation." He said, the words hitting hard for those who understood; a group to which Sin was excluded. The words sounded familiar from the short time he had spent with Al in Rizembul. "Alicia tried to bring her father back to life, and _died_ in the process."

"Edward," Hawkeye interjected harshly, standing up and asking what everyone wanted to know: "What in the world is the Gate?"

"It's complicated," he replied simply, avoiding the subject, and beginning to advance upon Sin. "Do you even know what you are? What do you call yourself?"

Sin stepped back, feeling uncomfortable at the way the smaller man was staring at him as he walked forward. "I don't know..." he muttered.

"Edward, please!" Gracia pleaded, stepping forward while sensing Ed's ill-intent. "Leave him alone! He's done absolutely nothing wrong!"

"What he's done doesn't matter," Ed said, not averting his golden gaze from Sin's violet eyes. "You should not exist in this world. You are an abomination created by the clumsy hands of a child. You were created as a replacement of a man she probably doesn't even remember anymore. How does that make you feel?"

Sin realized in dismay that he was now cornered by the small man, and he pressed his back against the far wall, but Ed didn't slow his advance. His eyes searched for some means of escape from the situation, and he found nothing. Gracia was watching him with her clutched hands pressed to her lips. Hawkeye still stood at the couch, frozen in her bewilderment, and Havoc still stood staring from the window, his burning cigarette hanging from his lips. Roy simply remained in his place.

There was no escape.

"Homunculus," Ed muttered the word like a curse as he finally stopped, not even inches in front of Sin. "It's what you are. You are a lifeless being created without a soul, and now you have nothing." Ed pulled his prosthetic arm off to his side. "Just relax and make this easier for me."

Sin didn't realize that Ed had actually tried to hit him (unwisely with his fake hand). All he saw was Ed throwing back his arm and bringing it forward as hard as he could, quickly followed by an explosion of colour. Sin could practically hear the gears of everyone's minds screech to a halt as the entirety of Ed's prosthetic arm evaporated into a shuddering sea of multi-coloured butterflies, silencing everything beyond the sound of the fluttering gusts of their tiny wings.

Ed's eyes widened in absolute shock as he clutched at where his arm used to be, staring in confusion along with everyone else. Even Roy's eye had opened, and he was peering up at the spectacle as the cigarette fell gracefully out of Havoc's mouth.

Sin sighed in relief, raising his hands to the swarm that had settled before him, feeling the flapping of tiny wings batting relentlessly against his fingers as they settled all across his arms. But it wasn't just Sin - they were everywhere, beginning to settle in the corners of the ceiling while searching for an escape, or moving to rest comfortably underneath the warmth of lamplight. Hawkeye analyzed the ones decorating her uniform as Havoc picked up his cigarette from the carpet, a rainbow of glimmering wings clinging to his clothes. Roy sat in silence as he analyzed the situation, completely covered with them himself. Gracia stared in astonishment at them, at a complete loss of what to do.

Meanwhile, Ed shook his head vigorously and he managed to swat away quite a few of the little butterflies from his shoulders using his ponytail alone. He shot his head up to glare venomously at Sin just as the front door slammed open, welcoming in an excited and exhausted Alphonse Elric.

Panting, he didn't seem to notice as large swarms of the little bugs escaped through the door. "Ni-san!" He cried, running forward.

"Al..." Ed sighed, finally being distracted from the butterflies as well as Sin, but he yelped just the same as Al threw his arms around his brother and squeezed as tight as he could, lifting Ed from the ground.

"Ni-san! It's really you! You're really here!"

"Al..."

"If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up!"

"Al!" Ed said, much more firmly, inspiring Al to release his grip on him, and the younger brother stared up at Ed expectantly, only to get a ruffling of his hair. "I've missed you, too. But... let me go."

"Oh... sorry, Ni-san," Al laughed bashfully as he released his brother. The boy had a hard time containing his emotion, but he did a good job of it as Ed fixed his jacket with his one operable hand. Prideful, down to his last breath.

But rarely for his brother.

Ed placed his hand on Al's head yet again, letting his fingers fan through Al's blonde mane. To those who knew them before Sin, they recognized Ed's desire to confirm Al's real body. "You're too tall," he said, getting a chuckle out of Al, as well as Gracia. "...Let's go."

"Yes!" Al said, eager to please his brother as Ed passed him to exit through the door, leaving his hand lingering on his brother's head as he passed. Al couldn't contain his fond smile as he glanced back at Sin and the colours in the room. He delivered the people in the house a brief wave as he turned to walk with his brother.

The sound of the door closing behind Ed flooded Sin with unbelievable relief, and he even extended a sigh in their wake.

* * *

Nothing had been solved at all with the return of the renowned Edward Elric. There were more questions than ever. What was the Gate? How did Ed get through it? Why was Alicia alive if she died performing human transmutation? 

But all those questions were just superficial to Sin - they didn't matter. He knew one thing, and that was enough.

He was an abomination.

A replacement.

A 'Homunculus'.

He had taken the place of a man who died because his daughter wanted her daddy back.

And now, Sin couldn't decide whether he would rather intrude on that man's space to stand in his place and be Alicia's father, or to respect the life of Maes Hughes and step down and away from the city and this entire situation.

In appreciation of the man, all he had done and in thanks for letting Sin borrow his family, Sin had practically decided on the latter choice late that night as he lay sleepless on the living room couch.

...Until Alicia came downstairs and curled herself under his arm and into his chest.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay...

Sin, Gracia, Havoc and Hawkeye had worked together late into the evening, finding all the butterflies and shooing them outside, all save for one which Hawkeye kept for the sake of having a specimen, although she had already confirmed that they were, indeed, living butterflies. She pointed out to Sin that, if what Ed said was true, then they had just experienced a deceased, revived and soulless human homunculus turn non-living material into thriving life.

What other conclusion could they come to after seeing what they had?

And after spending all night taking care releasing the butterflies out into the outside world, they had all turned around one moment and discovered Roy had left at some point when they weren't looking. Hawkeye just sighed and apologized on his behalf, which Gracia dismissed. They were all exhausted by the time the night was over.

And Sin lay there on the living room couch, cradling Alicia Hughes as he watched the house across the street light up as the sun rose in the other direction.

Edward wasn't going to just let him live.

* * *

Winry Rockbell claimed to be the best Auto-mail technician - next to her grandmother - in the world. For plenty of people, there was no one else they would turn to for anything of the nature. One of those people just so happened to Edward Elric, who had called her early that morning. She screamed for explanations over the phone and got none - she was just told to bring him an arm and a leg to Central. Winry was concerned for Ed's absence and his health, but she was more excited just to see him. For the longest time, she had been convinced that he was dead. 

But now - by the voice in the phone - she knew he wasn't, and she was having a hard time keeping her composure as she urged the train to go faster.

"Don't worry," Shiezka said, grinning at her companion's excitement. "He's not going anywhere without his leg!"

Winry smiled and nodded back, brushing her hair away from her face. Shiezka said she was coming for moral support - acting as her assistant and claiming she also wanted to see Edward alive and well. Winry didn't doubt it, but she recognized the concern in the other girl's eyes to be elsewhere.

She wanted to see that man again. The one that looked like Hughes.

To be honest, Winry did, too.

* * *

Note:  
I apologize on behalf of the possibly incestuous kind of style of the rest of this fic. I really don't ship Elricest. I don't like it very much at all, in fact. If you're into it, then good! If you aren't, I'm sorry! It wasn't intentional. This is just the way I percieve their relationship -affectionate. Isn't that the way it is?


	8. Chapter 8

**Sin**

Chapter 8

The first change Al recognized was the way that Ed moved. Years had been finely sliced from his memory, but he could still see the way Ed had lifted his shoulders and locked his knees... It wasn't the same. His brother was perfectly silent as Winry concentrated on connecting his nerves to a fresh new auto-mail arm and leg. His expression barely changed Al and Shiezka looked on. It occured to Al suddenly that somewhere in the hole of his time, Ed had learned exactly what pain was, and he now knew exactly how to deal with it.

His movements were no longer overbearingly arrogant - they were confident, but thoughtful. Intellectual. His eyes didn't wander or close to distract himself from his own vulnerabilities, he watched Winry closely as she did her work, throwing his prosthetic leg away with disgust.

"How in the world did you manage to survive on that thing?" She grumbled bitterly.

"I had to," Ed replied simply.

When Al wasn't looking, Ed had transcended to adulthood. And now he felt alone as a child.

"It's good to have you back," Shiezka said quietly.

"It's good to _be_ back," he replied, releasing a sigh as Winry completed her work, and he looked up to smile at her.

He bent and straightened his knee and elbow when she asked, and she nodded and turned to pack away her tools with Shiezka's help.

"How long has it been, Al?" Ed asked over his shoulder as he proceeded to remove his jacket with his newly grafted auto-mail. Watching him, Al could see how much reliance Ed had learned to place on his left hand - and how awkward it was for him to have his right hand now ready and able to keep up with it. "Four years?"

"Eight," Al corrected.

"Eight?"

Al nodded, averting his gaze as Ed turned to look expectantly up at him, denying the look on his brother's face for the gray sky hanging low outside the window. "I'm sorry, Ni-san. I've fallen too far behind. I woke up one morning and four years were gone along with you. I've been looking for both ever since."

Ed stared at him for a long time. Al had been trying to find Ed for so long... While Ed had found himself.

And now Al felt completely useless.

"I'm sorry, Ni-san... I've been trying." He turned back to look at his brother. "I trained with Sensei for three years, and I came back to Central and became a Nationally Certified Alchemist. She hates me now, but I thought the best way to find you would be to follow in your footsteps..."

Al hesitated, noticing that Ed had turned away with a strange expression on his face. Al panicked. "I wanted-"

"You don't remember anything?" Ed asked quietly.

"...Not much after we returned from Sensei's training... But everyone has been telling me since then everything they know. About you... about everything I used to be." Al bit his lip, taking Ed's expression as disappointment. "I'm sorry, Ni-san..."

"Forget it, Al," Ed said, sitting up in his place and putting his hand on his brother's shoulder supportively. "That isn't your fault. Right now, there are other things we need to concern ourselves with," Ed patted Al's shoulder and looked down to observe his new auto-mail hand as he flexed it. "We have to get rid of the homunculus in Hughes' house."

"Ni-san!"

At the other end of the room, Shiezka dropped the toolbox she was holding directly onto Winry's foot. As the blonde mechanic wailed in agony, Shiezka apologized quickly before turning back to Edward. "Ed! What are you implying!"

"Shiezka-san," Ed said, his face straight. "That man is a soulless shell that Alicia created in order to replace her father."

"So?" She shook her head in dismay. "What does that matter! Who are you to say who lives or dies!"

"Because I'm the only one who knows what that name really means," Ed challenged her.

"That doesn't give you the right to kill someone!"

* * *

"You're not my Papa," she said, sitting on his lap and pinching his cheeks. "But I love you anyway!" And then she threw her little arms around his neck and hugged him.

And he didn't know what to do, so he just hugged her back.

Gracia spent the day walking on air. She made them a gigantic breakfast with all of Alicia's favorites - buttermilk pancakes, strawberries, apple juice, toast with jam... Sin tried to help in the creation process, but she refused adamantly and Alicia spent most of the morning giggling while hanging onto his leg as he walked in circles around the house.

"You don't have to work today, do you?" She asked, staring up at him from where she was perched on his foot.

"No," he said, somewhat perplexed.

"Okay," she beamed. "Papa always had to work, but you can stay here with me forever!"

He barely had a shred of a reason to be happy living the life that another man had created, and he tried to stay solemn about the idea, and everything else that was going on. But in spite of what had happened to Sin the night before, everything was bright and exciting for the two original members of the family, and Sin was caught in the middle. When Gracia smiled, or when Alicia laughed, he could hardly stand it. His face hurt until he gave in and finally started smiling along with them. His arms grew tight with the desire to squeeze the girl against his chest. By the time dinner came around, he gave up trying to fight it.

He couldn't help but love the girls.

She feigned awe as she peered off into the distance through her paper-towel roll. "First mate Chucky! Do you see what I see?"

"I might if I had a scope, Captain!" Sin/Chucky responded, pouting and using a hand to shade his eyes as he pretended to squint off into the distance. "Is that..." He gasped, "it is!"

"There you have it, Chucky! As I told you, the floating city _does_ exist!" She stuck her chin into the air confidently, the hair of her pigtails catching the light as they curled against her shoulder. "Now you will know to trust the word of your great captain!"

"Yes ma'am!" Sin/Chuckt said, sitting up in the sandbox in order to salute her. "I will never doubt you again!"

"Alright!" She said, swatting her scope into the palm of her hand. "Then you will do as I say and eat all of my lima beans at supper!"

"But..."

"No buts, Chucky! Now that I have proven trustworthyness to you, you must prove yourself to me by putting your life at risk for my sake!"

"I wasn't going to cook lima beans with supper, but now I am, and no one is going to eat them but you, Captain Alicia!" Gracia called from the back door. "This is by order of Mama, the Fuhrer!"

"Ha!" Alicia barked a laugh in her mother's direction. "But there is no more Fuhrer, Mama! So you can't be it!"

"Prime Minister, then!"

"Damn!" Alicia swore, recieving a look from Sin.

"No swearing or no dessert, Captain Alicia!"

They sat at the table, savouring Gracia's fantastic cooking in silence until Sin suddenly lunged over the table to take a stab at the pile of lima beans on Alicia's plate, stuffing them into his mouth. Gracia didn't have a chance to react, even in shock, before he made a gagging noise and fell from his chair onto the floor. Alicia laughed loudly and jumped from her chair to throw herself on top of him.

"Chuckyyyyyyy!" She tried to cry, grinning and giggling. "Noooooo!"

"Only... for you... Captain Alicia...!" And he gagged once more before allowing himself to fall limp against the dining room floor.

"Come on now," Gracia sighed, trying very hard to be angry, but having a hard time to mask her own undeniable amusement. "No fun allowed during supper."

After playing the day away with Alicia a lot harder than he had realized, Sin found himself refreshingly exhausted. With his dwindling energy, he managed to lift Alicia and her book from the couch, and carried them both to her room. She had been reading him fairy tales about princes and princesses after discovering he couldn't read. She shared with him all of her favorites until she had fallen asleep doing so.

Gracia watched him as he came down the stairs, smiling. Embarassed over the things he had done that day, he smiled meekly as he scratched the back of his head. "I adore your daughter," was his apology.

"You're allowed," she said, meeting him at the bottom of the staircase. Surprising him, she tucked her arms under his and embraced him, resting her face against his shoulder.

He had been getting hugs from Alicia all day, but he hadn't expected this from Gracia. He hesitated a moment before responding with his arms around her shoulders.

"Thank you," she sighed.

He was about to ask her why when there was a timid knock on the front door. Gracia lifted her head and they exchanged close glances before releasing each other, and going together to answer it.

"I need to talk to you," Alphonse Elric said, standing in the doorway, staring directly at Sin and overlooking Gracia's prescence. "Let's go for a walk." And, as an afterthought he added "...if you don't mind."

Sin and Gracia exchanged glances again, and Gracia just smiled at him. "I'll be just fine here on my own," she reassured. "Go on ahead."

Sin nodded without another word and, shuffling into the shoes that had once belonged to Maes Hughes as well as all the rest of the clothes he wore, he stepped outside in silence with Al.

"Take care," Gracia called quietly after them into the night air before she closed the door, leaving the cool dark step to burrow in the darkness of the night once again, before she remembered to snap on the outside light moments later.

"I'm sorry for taking you out into the cold so late," Al said quietly, following Sin out onto the street.

"Not a problem," Sin dismissed. It wasn't that cold, and although he was tired, he was fascinated with how perpetually his energy had lasted when he had spent time today with Alicia. Spending time with anyone else didn't have the same effect, including Al.

The blonde boy sighed and continued walking him aimlessly down the street. Sin found himself observing how different Al looked in the moonlight - all of his bright features darkened with the black canopy of the sky, his highlights brightened with the contrast of the moonlight, both of which fluctuated with each passing lamplight. Sin wondered if, out in the darkness of the night like this, he looked any less like Maes Hughes.

Not like it mattered anymore. Everyone now knew what he was.

"I think I kind of understand how you feel," Al began finally, after they had strayed far from where they had been. "I had another life once, too. A life I can't remember. A life everyone else lived in. Even without my memory, all I really wanted was to have my brother back. Every day of my life I've felt alone without him. I still don't understand how that gap between what I know and what I don't got there, or how I'm supposed to get rid of it. People talk to me about things I never knew actually happened. I thought he would be able to help me fill that hole. Not the hole in my memory - but the one in my life." Al sighed, and he stopped as he looked up at the sky between streetlights. "But now things are just bigger. He doesn't know what to do about me and my memories. Right now, he just says he feels glad that I can't remember all the horrible things that happened. Right now, he just..." Al took a deep, strengthening breath and he spun to face Sin. "He truly wants to kill you!"

Sin couldn't think of anything else to do than to stare blankly at the boy, so that was exactly what he did.

"Don't you understand, Hughes?" The name itself stunned Sin, like he had run straight into a brick wall as Al advanced on him, grabbing onto his arms. "You're a homunculus! He believes you don't have the right to be living that man's life!" Tears of frustration began pouring down the boy's face. Sin took it in, but he found himself still reeling by what Al had called him. "He doesn't understand! You and I are the same in all the ways that he hates you! If you aren't Hughes, then how am I his brother! What right does he have to believe that he's justified enough to kill you, and keep me alive?" He began shaking Sin rather powerfully as he turned his face to the ground. "He just doesn't understand that _this_ Al - me - was just as good as dead for four years! Is there any difference between you and I? How could he want to kill you? How could he possibly..."

The boy descended into his sobs, leaning forward into Sin's chest. The homunculus - once more that day - went along with his impulse to embrace the boy, wrapping his arms around Al's trembling shoulders. Sin could understand his frustration. In Sin's entire lifetime of several weeks, he had grown used to things that he understood that Al must have been forced to go through as well. People talked over you about the person that you were supposed to be. People assumed you were that person - assumed that you knew everything. He had felt so useless and helpless that he couldn't understand; frustrated at the fact that he couldn't remember anything. Al had been suffering with this for four years.

And now, his brother - who he had loved and idolized for his entire life - had come back unaware of the pieces Al had been missing. Al was confessing all of this to Sin because he could never confess his feelings to his brother now. And he felt guilty - because he knew he wouldn't be able to stand up to him.

"I've tried so hard to keep up with everything," Al choked. "I can't stand this anymore."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sin**

Chapter 9

Roy could sit there and scold himself all night long, but it wouldn't change his mind or his reactions. The Hughes that had been his best friend was dead, and he had now been replaced with something that Alicia had used _his_ lessons in order to create. Roy had never even touched on the idea of human transmutation with his lessons. He had no idea where she had gotten the information.

A bottle of rum in hand, Roy paced around his house, walking nowhere in particular as he drowned his sorrows with his drinks. He had never thought that something like this could happen - not in a million years. The past was something he had always had a hard time facing. Who better to represent that past than Maes Hughes, brought back to life by his daughter after he had clearly told Roy many years before that it was a horrible idea. After too long, it had finally sunk in to the point where Roy had actually come to believe that Hughes was right. And then he was dead. Nothing Roy could ever do would ever fill that void. No one would ever be as good a friend to him. So Roy substituted the void for a new friend - alcohol.

Hawkeye had come over several times in the past week or two - Roy couldn't remember how long it had been since he had last actually had a regular day - to give him reports. He was always too drunk to remember him, but she would run them by him anyway. She would sigh and leave eventually, telling him that he was no good for himself, and he would someday need to come around and do his job again. Roy realized sadly that he quite honestly couldn't care less at the time, as he continued to destroy himself with something he scientifically knew as a depressant. To him, it seemed that there was nowhere else he could turn.

And then he moved to his living room to find Edward Elric sitting on his couch.

"You look like shit," the man-Roy-remembered-as-a-boy stated after looking him up and down.

"Thank you," Roy heard his own words out of impulse. "How did you get in?"

"The door," Ed replied.

"Oh," Roy said with a sigh, taking a drink.

"Too much of a good thing is bad for you," Ed reminded.

"I don't care," Roy grunted.

"Good to know," Ed said, stretching out on his couch and putting his feet up on Roy's table, creating a loud thud as his auto-mail leg hit the table. "Are you too drunk for me to tell you what happened to me in the past four years?" He asked, eager to tell his story.

"Yes," Roy stated, taking another drink as he crossed the room to his window. It was dark outside, which usually meant it was night. He wondered where the time had gone as he absently tipped his bottle back and forth.

"Okaaayy..." Ed hesitated. He hadn't been expecting that. "...But I really need to talk to you, regardless."

"I'm not stopping you."

"But will you _understand_ me?"

"I might."

Ed sighed behind Roy. He was tempted to start calling him things for old times' sake, but he decided Roy probably wouldn't have the patience to hear them. "I want you to help me get kill Hughes' imposter."

Roy sprayed his rum all over his nice drapes, but didn't really register the latter part. "You want to _what_!" He asked, turning around to face the blonde.

"I want to kill him," Ed repeated. "Tonight, if possible."

Roy stared at him as long as his unfocused eyes would allow until he was forced to rub at them.

Ed sighed, "he's a homunculus, Colonel. He's already dead."

"I didn't know what to think about that," Roy confessed, glancing out of the window over his shoulder. "A homunculus... is the product of human transmutation, right?"

"Yeah," Ed nodded. "A being with no soul."

"That's quite the concept," Roy said, turning back to face the window. "Not once did I ever think to kill him."

"Maybe you should have," Ed grunted. "It would have saved me the trouble."

It was refreshing for Ed to be around Roy again - he was always able to take his sharp comments with a grain of salt. Al would scold him, but Roy would ignore the offensive words in whatever Ed had to say, and take what he really meant to heart. He sighed and placed his bottle of rum on a flower table near to where the curtains settled in their pulled-back position, to the sound of glass touching wood adding volume to the silence that stood in the dark of Roy's empty home.

"He was my best friend," Roy said softly.

"I know."

"He saved me from myself."

"I know."

"If he hadn't, I wouldn't be here now, and one thousand walking sins would be crawling the earth if things had worked out the way I planned."

Ed fell silent. This was new to him.

"I hated the war. I hated the killing. I hated what I was forced to do, and I hated myself for doing what I was told. I tried to fix it all the only way I knew how... and he was the one who stopped me. 'There are better ways to kill yourself', he said." Roy hesitated, finally taking another drink from his rum. "And he began to work under me, supporting me, and pushing me higher. He wouldn't let me stop. He wouldn't let me think about the guilt. It's been six years since he died. Six years..." Roy sighed, taking another sip of his rum and replacing it onto the table beside him before turning slowly to face Ed, who had righted himself on the couch, slouching slightly, but hands folded on his lap out of respect towards Roy's confession. "Have I done the right thing?" He asked Ed, quietly.

"In what?"

"In letting his death go when it happened. Looking for it, I would have lost my reputation and position in the military, therefore risking everything he worked to give to me. But... was it really the right thing for me to do?" The way his face looked in the silvery-blue moonlight only heightened the extreme contrast of Roy's handsome features. Ed watched him closely.

"It was the right thing," the blonde reassured. "He wanted you to succeed in everything you wanted. Could you say you did, even after sacrificing your ultimate goal to become the Fuhrer in the end for the greater good?"

"Did Al tell you that?" Roy chuckled bitterly, one hand in his pocket as the other hung next to his side. "That was the logical way at the time," he confessed. "I followed my head to the world we're living in now. Would I have felt more assured being the Fuhrer? Would he have led me down this path?"

"He would have led you down the path he thought you needed," Ed replied quietly. "I think it would have been the same."

"Ha..." Roy grunted, turning back again to face the window. "I guess I should go confide in his replacement."

"You said it. I didn't," Ed grinned.

"Sooner or later, it needs to happen. I'm being forced to look death in the face and deal with it." Roy folded his hand behind his back, forgetting his rum which had diminished into a few dark droplets resting unified in the bottom ring of the bottle. "I guess I did what was best for the country and the world, and it was the best for myself because I would have felt guilty about it afterward." He sighed as he shifted his feet. "But I still feel alone."

"But you aren't alone, Colonel," Ed said, feeling particularly compassionate as he stood and strolled over to the window, standing next to Roy. He picked up the bottle and consumed the last drops of the brew, wiping his mouth clean using the back of his sleeve. "I can be your drinking buddy." And after a short pause, "...for a price."

Roy chuckled softly. "That might be interesting. Bar nights spent next to a child who probably won't be able to hold his alcohol? I won't be the one carrying you home, Fullmetal."

Hearing that nickname had been such a small thing that had been missing from his new life through the gate; he had totally forgotten about it. It hadn't mattered so much to him at the time, but hearing it again along with Al's chirping 'Ni-san!' provided Ed with a warm, fond sensation.

He was home.

Now all he had to do was clean up the mess that he had left behind.

"Ohhh, I'll show you what I can do. I'll drink you under the table in a matter of minutes," he bragged.

"Ha. That would be quite the sight, Fullmetal. Maybe then I would finally be able to see your face."

"_Whaaaat!_"

About to vent a river of insults back at Roy, the Colonel laughed and Ed quickly shifted gears, settling for a childish pout as he crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

"He represents what Hughes taught you to avoid. Human transmutation... thanks to Alicia. We need to respect Hughes and the life he used to lead, Roy. The Homunculus could never replace the original, we just can't let it happen."

"I know, Edward-kun."

"...Are you with me, Colonel?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice," Roy replied with a sigh, leaning his head back. "Alicia, Gracia and myself need to face the fact that Hughes will be dead forever."

"Thank you," Ed said, breathing his own sigh of relief. In spite of how determined he had been to be rid of Sin, he knew he wouldn't have been able to do it on his own. As Al had stormed from their room earlier in the evening, Roy had become his last hope.

Ed didn't tell him everything... but he shared a lot. He tried to begin explaining what had happened with the gate after telling him about what homunculus were. Al took it all in with a solemn expression, listening closely to what Ed had to say. But the second Ed started talking about Hughes' replacement, and why they had to get rid of him, Al's face had clouded over with a painful emotion, and he had left before the two of them had really been able to catch up.

It was then that Ed had resolved earlier that Roy would probably be willing to help, but Al still didn't understand how vast the consequences were. Every time Al drew a circle and changed one thing into another, that 'magic' was feuled by the power of death in another world. Ed could never possibly use alchemy again. And he was tired of the rampage caused by the stray homunculus. Although Dante was gone, Ed never wanted to deal with any such thing again.

With Roy, Ed didn't even need to explain where he had gone. He just used the man's memories of Hughes.

"You can sleep in my bed tonight," Roy said quietly, glancing over his shoulder to observe the thoughtful Ed. "I'm going to be up late again tonight."

"I'll keep you company."

Much later, Ed found himself shuffling through the new and old books of Roy's library, and he discovered several missing. But for the rest of his life he would stay silent about how Alicia had discovered the theories of human transmutation.


	10. Chapter 10 Final

**Sin**

I suppose now we can assume that I can and will finish just about everything I try to. This is the last chapter of Sin, after running through and re-writing the whole damn thing. For those of you who have been waiting for this chapter since the first draft, I _beg_ you to go back and read it over again. I fixed... just about anything I could see wrong, added detail, fixed characterization, added stuff, etc... The entire thing is much, much better now. And when I'm done, I'm gonna go post it in the FMA LJ community and become POPULAR! XD

I hope everyone is satisfied with the ending!

Chapter 10 (Final)

_Could you live on, forgetting that you really aren't a part of this family?_

Sin contemplated in the silence of the night as he ran his hand slowly along the back of the couch where he had spent the past few weeks sleeping. He was already familiar with the spots that creaked, and the most comfortable positions to lay. He had grown used to this place.

He stared behind it at the pictures that hung on the blank white wall, seeming lonely somehow. They held the image of a man who no longer existed - a man that people wanted him to be.

He was tired of debating so hard about the situation. He wanted the conflict to be over, the decision chosen and over with, so he wouldn't have to split himself over it anymore... but he doubted he could do it on his own.

If he stayed, he could be happy. Gracia and Alicia would be happy. He could help with cooking and other chores. He could get a job and help pay for Alicia's education. He would have to learn how to read and write himself, but who knows if Roy would ever be able to drag himself from his empty house if he stayed? Edward would never let him rest in peace.

If he left, Roy and Ed would be happy. And maybe Hughes...

No matter where his thoughts chose to go, it always ended up boiling down to the opinion of a man who was dead.

Sin sighed quietly, leaning up against the back of the couch. He streched his legs out in front of him and folded his hands on his lap as he continued to speculate.

The more time he spent in that house, with those girls... the less he wanted to actually leave.

"Are you still awake?" Sin turned to see Gracia standing in the doorway, dressed in a housecoat and looking at him with sincere concern. "It's late, you know..."

"I know..." Sin replied, returning his gaze to the pictures. "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh..." she said quietly, moving to stand beside him. "Maybe you should try sleeping in the bed tonight? I imagine it's much more comfortable than the couch."

Sin shook his head slowly. "It isn't uncomfortable, I just have too much to think about."

"I understand," Gracia said, closing her eyes solemnly as she nodded. "I can only imagine what must be going through your head after what's happened these past few days. They've been stressful enough for me - I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through."

"Yeah," was all he said, sighing and staring at Hughes.

Gracia followed his eyes. "I refuse to believe what Edward-kun says..." she practically whispered, inspiring Sin to turn to look at her. "...that you have no soul. I could never imagine something like that being as kind and sweet to us as you have these past few weeks. I can't believe that... I won't."

"But it is true," Sin said, glancing back up at the picture. "There's a hole inside of me. You make me as happy as I think I could be, but there's something missing. Those feelings roll over that hole, which makes me feel it..." Sin paused to cross his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good with words, but... If what that boy said was true, that hole is where Hughes and his memories should be. It's where his joy would be. It's a place I can never go."

"...But you're happy here..." Gracia asked, tilting her head slightly to look up at him. "...aren't you?"

Sin nodded hesitantly, not looking at her. "I am."

"Then... stay here with us," she said. She moved forward, intruding on more than his perpheral vision as she placed a hand on his arm. "Even if you left... what would you do with yourself?"

"...I haven't really thought much about that."

"Stay here, and I'll take care of you," she said, shuffling closer to him, making Sin feel embarassed.

Gracia was beautiful in a way that a lot of people couldn't notice. Her face was round, making her smile more charming, and helping her eyes to glow when they squinted like they did. Her hair was short, but soft. She was a wonderful woman, the perfect wife and mother; but most of those walking past her on the street wouldn't think her worth a second glance. However, when you were given a chance like Sin had to sit and admire her for weeks at a time, she makes a little hole in your heart that she curls into, that can't be filled by anyone else, leaving you feeling warm, welcome... and needed. She was compassionate and kind. Loyal.

Which was why she could only possibly find her heart beating over another Maes Hughes.

She had barely pressed her lips to Sin's when a million thoughts flooded through his brain, leaving a striking impact on his mind.

He was _not _Alicia's father.

He was _not_ Gracia's husband.

He never could be, because he was _not Hughes_.

It hit them both at the same moment, and he held her shoulders and pushed her away. He could see it in the wideness of her eyes before she averted her gaze; she finally realized the truth as well.

"I can't stay with you," he said quietly - but clearly.

She nodded slowly, not looking up to him - denying the resemblance to herself. She knew it down to her core that he was not Hughes, but she had let herself... forget... After all, the only physical differences were the eyes, and the small tattoo she had spotted on the small of his back. "I know..." she whispered, looking as if she was about to cry over her guilt.

And that was all there was to it. He embraced her, hugging as tightly as he dared. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, her fingers trembling. When they released, she stood in place as he stepped carefully around her, making his way to the front door.

He stared down at Hughes' shoes for a long moment before resolving that he had taken enough from the man. It was bad enough that he was wearing his clothes and kissing his wife - he could go without his shoes. Disgusted with himself, he tore his eyes away from the home he had almost begun to think of as his own before opening the door and escaping out into the cool night, onto the front step in his sock feet.

Roy had been waiting for him on the street, staring away from the house, but standing at the end of the walkway. When Sin came out, the Brigandier-General was no less shocked than the former was, and he bristled tensely in his blue uniform. "...I... need to talk to you..." he said, his words very slow, but clear and smooth nonetheless.

Sin acknowledged with a nod, not saying a word as he walked out to meet Roy, and he let the Brigandier-General lead the way.

* * *

He had almost been expecting to hear less than silence out of the one-eyed Brigandier-General; and he was actually flattered that he was being permitted in the man's prescence. Sin was completely unaware of where they were going, but he instead chose not to care. He was furious with himself - or at least as furious as a soulless being could possibly be. He had been less than a second away from taking over a dead man's life - taking away his daughter and his wife and claiming them for his own. How could he have come so close to doing such a thing? He didn't even have a real name for god's sake! He would never be half the man that Hughes had been; that man had created himself a paradise of a home, and had barely been given the time to actually enjoy it. Sin would never be able to love as much, or hate as much or care as much. He would never be able to be human. He never could have lived like Hughes.

By the time Sin was finished walking with Roy, he was going to leave this place and never look back. He would look for Wrath and find a good family for the boy - maybe even leaving him there with Gracia...

"Hughes was my best friend," Roy spoke suddenly and softly, startling Sin out of his whirling thoughts.

"I saw your pictures," Sin said quietly.

Roy was silent for a while, "...that doesn't help me much."

The Brigandier-General was a little awkward speaking to him, but it was in a slow way, his voice never wavered or shook. They finally strayed from the street and walked up a hill through the damp grass - moistened with the rain that had been coming and going since the sun went down that evening. His socked feet were freezing, but he said nothing.

"We met the same day I became a Nationally Certified Alchemist. He simply came up to me in particular after watching my exam and complained about how I had managed to become a Major right away, surpassing all the hard work he had put into the military. I just told him to work harder." Roy hesitated, sighing softly. "In Lior, I was forced to kill hundreds of people - because I was an Alchemist working for the military. With the snap of my fingers, people would die. Innocent human beings would be gone forever because that was what I was ordered to do. It was my job: I had to. That was what I tried to tell myself, at least." Sin could almost hear as Roy swallowed. It was hard for Roy to talk to Sin at all, and the homunculus felt somewhat guilty about it. The Alchemist would probably appreciate hearing about the conclusion he had come to. It was only now that Sin finally noticed they had been strolling through a graveyard in the dark.

"I couldn't handle it," Roy continued at length. "I wanted to bring them all back.

'Human transmutation' was becoming the key phrase of Sin's entire life. A stiff chill was crawling up through his body from his cold, damp feet, but he continued to follow Roy silently.

"It was Hughes who stopped me. He convinced me that it was a stupid idea, and told me to fix the problem in another way. So instead, I strived to become the Fuhrer in order to get into the government and fix it from the inside out. Hughes was the one working under me to drive me forward from that moment on... But he was shot when he discovered dangerous information, and he was buried several ranks higher than I was." Roy slowed to a stop, refusing to look back at Sin. "It was ironic, really... He probably wouldn't have allowed it, himself."

Sin discovered then he couldn't move any more if he wanted to. They had reached the resting place of Brigandier-General Maes Hughes, and the stiff chill Sin had blamed on the cold had clutched his entire body into a trembling mass, caused by the body of his predecessor that lay six feet below.

And he couldn't move.

"I apologize," Roy said softly, hanging his head and still facing the other direction.

"Contrary to popular belief, alchemy is not based on equivalent trade," Sin could hear Ed's voice come from behind him. He hadn't seen the blonde when they had come up there, and he couldn't get his body to move to turn to see where he had come from. His sight was frozen on Hughes' name.

"Your 'ressurection' caused many people their lives, and questioned the meaning of Hughes' death. I can't exactly blame you for your own existance..." Ed trailed off for a moment as he finally appeared within Sin's field of vision, turning to face him. Ed was standing next to the headstone, a gun hanging akwardly in his hand. "...but just because I can't blame you, doesn't mean I can let you go on existing. I can't even blame Alicia for what she did to those people across the gate - I did the exact same thing she did. I was lucky to find her when I came back through the gate. That's where you belong." Ed closed his eyes and took a breath, steeling his features before looking back up at Sin. "I had to kill the mother I tried to bring back to me. I know what it's like for a child to lose a parent, but she won't kill you. I have to do it for her. I can't let you replace Hughes. It's a miracle you got this far to begin with."

"I..." Sin shuddered, grunting words through clenched teeth as he struggled to will himself to move. "I had... been... leaving..." Somehow, he managed to relax himself long enough to bend his knees, falling forward into the grass. Roy had long since walked away, but Ed watched the homunculus solemnly.

"I wanted... to... but I know... I can't... replace Hughes even... if... Gracia and Alicia... managed to accept me..." He placed his hands into the damp grass, tremblings to release his own locked limbs as he accepted his fate. "But that's... because... I just couldn't... accept... myself..."

As he kneeled there, folded over with his head down, on his hands and knees, the sky opened up and brought the rain again. Off to his right, Sin almost thought he heard Roy stifle a bitter laugh.

"Rest assured, I have nothing against you," Ed said. Sin could hear his arm shift as he raised the barrel of the gun. He could feel his hair move around it as he pressed it to his head. "It's only what you are. I'm sorry it had to be this way." He hesitated for a long, painful moment. "What could I call you?"

"Call me... what I am..." Sin said, sucking in air rather violently between his teeth, his jaw still clenched in his paralysis. "I have... no... name..."

"...Farewell, then."

In his condition, there was no way Sin could protect himself from the gunshot. But the sound managed to drown out the one thing he could have called his name.

* * *

"Mama," Alicia asked, peering around the house as she came into the kitchen, where Gracia was making breakfast. "Where's Papa?"

"Oh, Alicia..." Gracia sighed sadly. "He died, remember? Six years ago."

"Mama!" She whimpered a bit, pouting. "I mean... my _new _Papa."

Gracia still hadn't turned to face her daughter, and she just chose to give up the verbal fight that might have gone on for quite a while. "He's gone, sweetie."

Alicia stared in silence for a while. Gracia couldn't stand the thought of turning and seeing her face, so she just focused completely on mixing the eggs she was cooking for breakfast, although she knew neither of them would have the stomach to eat anything.

At length, the ten-year-old finally spoke. "...Where did he go?"

"I'm not sure, honey." Gracia's heart was pounding. What in the world was she supposed to say...?

"...When will he be back?"

"I don't know."

Alicia was smart for her age. She knew alchemy. She had even performed human transmutation. But she couldn't think of a single thing to say before she managed to lose her will and spin on her heel, running through the house and out the front door.

Gracia sighed and wiped a tear with the back of her hand... But at least she knew her daughter would be coming home.

Alicia ran for as long as her young limbs could take her, and even then she walked until she could run again, tears streaming down her face. It had _worked_! She had brought him back to her! Somehow she knew all along she wouldn't be able to reap her own rewards. Now he was gone, and she was sure he was dead - she could feel it.

Now both her Papas were gone, and she knew she wouldn't be able to go through it all again - she had _died_, after all.

So she ran to the only place she knew where to go. Off the street, up the hill... through the graveyard... And she collapsed against his headstone, wrapping her arms around her father's name as she finally unleashed her emotions, trembling with sobs as a sea of multi-coloured butterflies surrounded her. She wailed out all of her despair as she choked on her own tears for her father. She couldn't quite remember the person he had been when she was four, but she was now crying for them both.

Behind her, curled in the branches of a tree, a pair of violet eyes observed her with weary concern; auto-mail gleaming as the sun emerged from the clouds.

* * *

Did you like it? Did you? Really? Truly? Tell the truth! This last chapter took sooooooo much out of me. So yeah, that's it! That's the end! And actually, I had been plotting that little Wrath bit at the end from the beginning. There are a few things that were never wrapped up that I might tie in later if I can figure out how to do it well.

Ed and Al forgive each other just fine, and the two make up for lost time, never mentioning this incident ever again.  
Roy takes another week or so off to sulk, but manages to get back to work, dragging the rest of the military-people with them.  
Armstrong still doesn't know exactly what happened, because nobody wanted to talk about it anymore.  
Sheizka and Winry go home and have hot lesbian smex, because I didn't have any pairings in this fic!  
Gracia and Alicia just go on with their lives, until about 10 years down the road when Alicia and Wrath get married and have a thousand kids! Alicia has an inkling that Ed had something to do with Sin's disappearance, and never really forgives him for it.

...I LOVE YOU GUYS!


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